


One Hundred Percent

by ProblemWithTrouble



Series: Pacific Rim [12]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Some talking about emotions just for good measure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 15:24:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19337266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProblemWithTrouble/pseuds/ProblemWithTrouble
Summary: Amara finds out that one of the records that Nate and Jake hold is for an almost hour long perfect drift and her teasing gets a little out of hand.





	One Hundred Percent

It wasn’t a big deal. Lots of people were drift compatible. It was the very foundation of the PPDC. Without drift comparability everyone would already be dead. Hell, Jake’s own dad was drift compatible with everyone. Mr. I-Take-Nothing-Into-The-Drift. 

When Nate and Jake had first had their brains hooked up after an almost half an hour long, very frustrating fight in the Kwoon it had been perfect. And not just to Nate and Jake the way that all pilots who drift successfully feel like it was perfect, but in an actual scientific way that made their instructors frown at the display. 

On the rare occasion that Jake was asked about it later, by civilians after the war, when he slipped up and let them know who he really was, he’d say it felt like nothing. Like being in a pool with your eyes closed. Like playing Marco Polo but no one was talking. That you were alone but also not. 

That was a lie he made up and told himself until he almost believed it, two weeks after he was kicked out. 

The truth was drifting with Nate was like laying in the backyard on a warm summer night, sharing all your secrets with your best friend. It had been perfect fucking serenity. 

Then eleven years passed between the last time he drifted and when he was hooked back into Nate’s brain and they could barely hold it together. It hurt that it was so hard. But then there are worse pains and Jake felt like he was hit with every one of them within a week. 

Then things settled just enough for the earth to feel like it was under his feet again and Jake was able to put his head back on straight. There wasn’t a lot of free time between interrogating the Precursors, supervising the rebuilding of the jaegers, and the pleading with the higher ups of PPDC and UN for more funding for their new endeavor to end it once and for all. But he found a few minutes between it all to finally finish mourning his father, and his sister, and everyone else he’d lost and to figure out who exactly he was now that he was staying.

So, things were okay. He and Nate can hold a drift again. 90% is still pretty good. Even if they did hold a hundred for almost an hour once, before. 

“So, I was looking through some of the old training scoreboard records,” Amara said one morning over breakfast a little too casually for Jakes liking. 

Nate and Jake look at up at her in sync. They’d just drifted yesterday, and the ghost drift was still strong. “Why? You’re a real ranger now,” Jake said. She had a point to this but he didn’t know what it was yet.

“I wanted to know what records you held that were _so_ impressive that they were still talking about it when we got here,” Amara said, rolling her eyes like she didn’t start this conversation. 

“Is there a point to this?” Nate asked because he’d never had time for idle chit chat. Mostly because he’d always been shit at it. 

“You two held a perfect one hundred percent drift for an _hour_. How’s that even possible? The simulations don’t even run that long.”

Jake shrugged at the same time Nate said “It wasn’t an hour.”

“58 minutes. Whatever,” Amara said. “Is that why they put you in charge of the cadets? Because I don’t think you can teach that. That’s some soulmate shit.”

“To be fair I’m such a nice guy I’m compatible with just about anyone.”

“One hundred percent.”

“Their record?” Jules asked as she sat down next to Amara and across from Nate and Jake. 

“How are they that compatible?”

Nate cut in before Jules could answer. “Younger pilots, stronger bonds.”

“I have bonded to exactly no one that much.”

“Is there a point to this?” Nate asked again, more forcefully. He was getting legitimately irritated with this. 

“Y’know how in old movies couples just have to be reminded why they fell in love in the first place? I thought this would help you not bicker for more than thirty seconds,” Amara said with a grin as she stood up from the table. 

“Jesus,” Nate said as Jules laughed and Jake shouted after Amara that he deserved a nicer co-star.

* * *

Jake didn’t think about Amara’s nonsense after that because honestly, he had spent the entire flight to Moyulan thinking about it. He had known that he was going to see Nate again no matter how much he didn’t want to, and once they’d landed and he’d confirmed that Nate was still a dick there wasn’t much left to think about.

Nate didn’t seem to be having the same luck. He was preoccupied for days and even came to find Jake in the kitchen. “I need to find a new place to stash my ice cream,” Jake said as soon as Nate entered the room. 

“You already tried that once, remember?”

Jake shrugged. “I have my own office now.” He had tried to hide a minifreezer in a storage closet but one of the maintenance people must have unplugged it because by the time he got there for his midnight snack all that was left was slightly cold soup.

Nate nodded. “Amara’s been spreading more rumors about us.”

“Talking about our old record that’s in the computer for anyone to see isn’t spreading rumors. Loosen up.” 

“She started a betting pool on when we’ll announce ourselves as a couple.”

“How much is up for grabs? We could rig it.”

“Jake,” Nate snapped. He took a deep breath and sighed. “You need to talk to her.” 

“Let her have her fun. Those kinds of betting pools have been around ‘domes for ages. It’s harmless,” Jake said, rolling his eyes at the dramatics of his partner.

Nate shook his head. “It’s not.” 

Jake cocked his head to one side. As far as he was concerned it was harmless, no one would take it for real any more than they did when there were bets about Herc Hansen and his dad, or about Newt and Gottlieb, or about Tendo and just about anyone in the dome. It was just some fun. “What’s the problem? Jules knows we’re not.” He made a motion between the two of them. 

“Just talk to her.” 

“Why me?”

Nate crossed his arms and sighed again. “Because she won’t listen to me on this. We’re her superior officers, she needs to cut it out.” 

“Come on, who’s it hurting?” 

Nate didn’t say anything, just glared at Jake. 

“Just let it go. It’ll show you have a sense of humor.”

“It’s not a fucking joke.”

“Jules thinks it’s funny.” 

“I know.” Nate ground out through clenched teeth. “Just talk to Amara.” He turned and left the kitchen while Jake made faces behind his back. He had no intention of talking to Amara. 

Two days later Jules saw him in the hall and turned around so that they could walk together. “The thing with Nate might be going a bit far now, don’t you think?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You and Amara and your mission to embarrass Nate as much as possible. Which I support but come on.” 

“It’s a bit of fun and it’s not hurting anyone,” Jake said with a shrug. Really, people were getting way too upset about a little bit of betting on something that was never going to happen. Not that Jake was opposed to it happening. But that ship had sailed eleven years ago. 

Jules stopped and Jake stopped to face her. “Isn’t it?”

“Is he dating someone I don’t know about?” 

Jules gave him a significant look and shook her head. “No. He’s not dating anyone.” She continued to look at him like he was ten steps behind and needed to catch up fast. 

“He’s the one all upset about this?” Jake asked. 

Her glare said he was at last still nine steps behind. “Jake. He still has feelings about you.”

“I know. Feelings of anger and annoyance, which is unfair because I’m great and he’s the-“ Jules cut him off. 

“Just, tell Amara to let it go. She said she’d chill out, but she needs to let it go because honestly if it goes any further I don’t think your drift will come back from that.” She turned and walked in the opposite direction, leaving him standing in the middle of the hallway alone. 

“What does that even mean, Jules?”

“Talk to Amara and then maybe Nate.”

* * *

Amara wasn’t too pleased with being told for a third time that she needed to let it go but this time she agreed she’d drop it. Apparently, she had just thought that Nate was being a killjoy, as usual, and that maybe Jules had a point, but once Jake told her to let it go she finally let it go. 

Then he was off to find Nate, who was in his room because it was almost ten o’clock by that point. He knocked on the door and waited until Nate answered in a pair of sweats and an old sweatshirt from a trip they had taken to Sydney once, before Jake had been kicked out. 

“What?”

“Amara’s letting it go.”

“Thanks.” 

“You gonna invite me in?”

“Wasn’t going to.” Nate shrugged and gave him a smug grin. After a second, he moved out of the way for Jake to follow him in. He sat down on the end of his bed while Jake leaned up against his desk across from him. 

“What’s your deal with Amara’s teasing?”

“I don’t have a deal.”

“Even Jules came and talked to me.” 

Nate rolled his eyes and looked like he was trying to remember how not to scream. “She shouldn’t have done that.” 

“She was just looking out for you, mate.”

“Yeah, sure. You want me to admit it? Is that what this is about?”

“I’d mostly just like to feel like I’m not the only person in the ‘dome who doesn’t know something about me. About my drift partner.” 

Nate just stared at him for a while, but Jake wasn’t exactly one to back down, so he just stared back. “Against my better judgement I have a thing for you.” 

Jake would be lying if that possibility hadn’t crossed his mind after what Jules had said, but hearing it out loud still made his brain come to a screeching halt. “A thing?”

“Yeah. A thing. Emotions. Feelings.” 

“Like, romantic ones?” Jake couldn’t help the fact that he was smiling. It didn’t even register. It was really the only appropriate reaction to finding out that Nathan Lambert had feelings for him. 

“Don’t mock me. I already know it’s stupid.” Nate shifted on the bed and was looking anywhere but Jake. 

“We should let Amara keep the betting pool. We’ll just have to find a date that no one else has picked yet. And then we can tell everyone.” Jake wondered how many people had money on them. He really should have gotten more specifics before he told Amara to shut it down. 

“Seriously?” 

“Yeah. We don’t make a ton of money. And I get the feeling you’re a little high maintenance. How else am I supposed to take you out to places fancy enough for you?” 

“I’m not high maintenance.” 

“Well, we’re going to find out, aren’t we?”

“Did I miss the part where you actually asked me out?” Nate asked, cocking his head to the side and smiling at Jake who was still grinning right back. 

Jake moved away from the desk and to the edge of the bed where he put one knee down next to Nate’s hip, so he was leaning over him. “You still need me to ask? Told you you were high maintenance.” 

Nate shut him up by pulling him down into a kiss. It was a little awkward given the angle but in a second Jake was fully straddling Nate and sitting in his lap and that was much better. When they broke apart, they were both a little breathless. That didn’t stop Nate from getting in a jab. “Are you going to be this smug all the time?”

“I’ve got the prettiest boyfriend in the Shatterdome, what’s not to be smug about?”

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt _Maybe a fic about them actually being a perfect or close to perfect drift compatible? Like it somehow slips out and Nate and Jake work together to try and keep it from getting out of hand? But everyone finds out anyway and just starts teasing them and they eventually just give up and go along with it? And them the how cute they are together and how in sync they are comes in and everyone just starts shipping's them._


End file.
